"Yes, Professor, I'll be heading out in a bit. Thank you so much for this," I said as I ended the call.
I seriously cannot believe Deion. Talagang ipinakalat niya na hindi ako professional sa trabaho? Ang tagal naming hindi nagkita at ngayon ay magpapakalat siya ng ganoon? Ang pagiging architect ko lang ang bagay na pinaka-pinapahalagahan ko. God knows how hard I tried to earn that title for the past years. And now, here he is! Trying to ruin my reputation!
I wore my black tube evening gown. It had a structured top with an A-line skirt and was very simple. Tanging ang slit lang na naglalabas sa kanang binti ko tuwing naglalakad ako ang disenyo. My hair was up, exposing my neck and the beautiful diamond necklace on it. I wore my favorite double bow pumps. Honestly, I think I looked good. Lalo nung nag-ayos din ako ng make up ko. If I wasn't too upset, I'd have the time to appreciate myself, pero hindi. Masyadong ginugulo ng lalaking 'yon ang isip ko, and not in the good way.
I drived myself to the venue. There were media at the hotel's entrance. I parked at the side, medyo malayo roon. I looked up the majestic building in front of me. I can't help but marvel at the architectural glory that this hotel posesses. This is really his? Ganito na siya kasuccessful ngayon?
If I was the same person I was nung nakabalik ako rito sa Pilipinas, I would've been extremely happy with how he grew. I sighed. Wala naman ng silbi kung babalikan ko pa ang nakaraan, di'ba? Right now, I need to think about my family's business.
I saw my old professor looking around the area. Malapit na siya sa may entrance mismo pero mukhang hinihintay niya pa ako.
"Oh my!" he exclaimed when he saw me. "You look marvelous!"
I chuckled at his remark.
"Thank you, Prof," I smiled at him.
"Shall we?" he offered his arm. I didn't hesitate to take it and go with him inside. With the way that the media got excited with his arrival, I can see that my old professor is now prominent in the business world. A reporter even approached him, asking him if I was his daughter.
I'm used to the fame that comes in the business world, 'yan ang kinalakihan ko noong buhay pa ang mga magulang ko. It was just that one event that made me hate it, kaya rin ako tumakas. That was years ago, hindi na ako nababahala sa mga cameras or anything. I guess that my hiding helped? Hindi na ako kilala ng reporters na tinatanong na kami kung anak ba ako ng iba.
"She is the granddaughter of a dear friend of mine, here for business," he explained. I smiled bitteely as I was reminded of my grandma. Ayun lang ang sinabi niya, hindi na sinagot ang follow-up questions. We headed inside and was greeted by grand ballroom.
Napalunok ako. I can see why his words about me meant so much to the investors. Malayo na nga talaga ang narating ni Deion. I heard that this new hotel is just one of his buildings here in Manila. Mayroon na nga rin sa Cebu and I heard they expanded their land in Benguet.
This party is his. A party for this new hotel that he opened. I looked down. I'm only here because I want to convince him. I wanted to ask him if he hated me that much, enough to spew nonsense about me when we haven't even seen each other since I came back. But looking around, seeing the prominent businessmen and women in his party. Ramdam na ramdam ko ang pangliliit. He wasn't just the civil engineering student that carried my things and helped me answer my calculus assignments. He was now a successful business tycoon, dominating the real estate world.
Sigurado akong ang mga taong 'to na malalaki na ang negosyo ay nandito rin para lang i-please siya at kuning investor. Why would he pay attention to a little architect trying to save her family's business? Lalo na 'yong sinaktan siya noon. Ang kapal naman ng mukha ko.
